Backstage: Tulle-d By Chanel

Designer Karl Lagerfeld played with lace, tulle, and a palette of black and white punctuated by hits of green and pink for his ladylike creations. Makeup artist Peter Philips and hairstylist Sam McKnight played up the feminine-frill idea just as emphatically.

The Scene: Star-studded and ultra-posh. Backstage, there was a huge breakfast spread. But if you didn't feel like lifting a finger (literally), waiters circulated with trays of oranges that had already been peeled. As Lagerfeld, in a black sequined jacket, walked through the crowd, schmoozing, big-time models socialized (we spotted Angela Lindvall and Karen Elson swapping personal photos). Up front, there were as many celebrities as you'd expect at a Chanel show: Kate Moss, Beth Ditto, Freida Pinto, Lily Allen, and Claudia Schiffer all represented.

The Look: Most of the models' faces were framed with hats and high collars, so Philips focused on emphasizing their eyes. And did he ever. After sweeping a silvery-white shadow onto the lids (Chanel's Liberty), smudging black (Ebony) along the lower lashline, and rimming the eyes with white pencil, he really went to town: He dotted sequins at the outer corners of the eyes and then attached actual swatches of sequined tulle beneath them. The elaborate hand-embroidered pieces were created by Lesage (the famed French embroiderer that does intricate handiwork for the top couture houses) specially for the show. "They add a bit of a rock n' roll edge to the look—and they sparkle!" said Philips. "Apparently they're not so comfortable to wear, though. The tulle is a bit rough." He used rosy-pink blush (Chanel's Fresque) to brighten the apples of the cheeks, and gave the models' lips a slick of Chanel Hydrabase lipstick in Beige Mythique.

To create the beautiful, rumpled waves in the models' hair, McKnight center-parted it, spritzed it with Fekkai Coiff Lifting and Texturizing Spray Gel, then wrapped sections around a large-barrel curling iron—but just for a second, in order to get "more of a soft wave than a curl—a loose, bohemian wave." Once cool, he brushed through the hair, then teased it slightly with a brush.

The grand finale? To mimic the pops of green in the collection, the models' nails were painted a rich jade-green that had been custom-blended just for the show. (A future it-color?)

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Lesson Learned:__ Play up your eyes if you have a lot going on with accessories. But you can skip the sequined-tulle lashes unless you're strutting down a runway.